Special Thanks Extended to Many People Making Courses Fun and Meaningful

Thank you to Target Field for hosting our courses and reception.

On behalf of Midwest GeoSciences Group, thanks to the course attendees, instructors, reception sponsors and the Target Field crew for making the short courses so much fun!

Great memories were made this year during the reception in the Suite during the baseball game.  It was fun to see attendees wearing their favorite Minnesota Twins shirts and other attendees donning their Milwaukee Brewers shirts in all their sartorial splendor.

Sweet memories made in the Event Suite during the official reception during the baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the Milwaukee Brewers.  Picture by David Sherman.

Although the reception took place during a baseball game, David Sherman the official NBA photographer for the Minnesota Timberwolves stopped by to take photos of our event (Thank you, Dave!).

Ken Bradbury and David Hart in the batter's box during the 7th inning.

Allen Shapiro and Maureen Muldoon touring Target Field before the gates open. Thank you, Target Field staff for fun access and endless hospitality!

Endless hospitality and bottomless stadium food and beverages hallmarked an evening chock full of fun not only in our Suite, but touring the hidden "nooks & crannies" of Target Field too.  We found some up-close-and-personal contact with players, Fox Sports North friends, and front-office staff.

Thank you too to both the Minnesota Ground Water Association and the Wisconsin Ground Water Association for their support with advertising to both Twins fans and Brewers fans!

Cahoy Well and Pump Service
thanked publicly on the giant score board during the game

Conducting courses at Target Field was a fun and unique experience.  Accessing the Owner's Board Room and Target Field when it was essentially void of people was not only special, but helped us gain an appreciation of the full benefits provided a world-class venue.  It was a great place to learn due to the privacy, modern technology, privileged access, and bountiful food.  Thanks again to the course attendees, the instructors, reception sponsors, visitors, and Target Field staff for making these two great courses a great experience.  -Dan.

Project Management Course, Truby Acheivements Style

"Empowering", "Enlightening", "Inspiring", and "Fantastic" are words taken from the course feedback forms describing this unique and meaningful course.

Thank you to Bill and Joann Truby for leading the instruction during the 2-day "Project Management Course" by Midwest GeoSciences Group in April.  Thanks to Lori Peters too for leading course segments on "QA/QC" and "Relentless Accountability".

Most of all, thanks to the course attendees for accepting their in-course assignments and participating in the exercises that enriches this amazing course experience.

Bill Truby leading the course sessions with Joann on his right.

Bill and Joann Truby have taught this course for Midwest GeoSciences Group since 2007.  From year to year, the course segments update with depth and effectiveness.  

For me, it is amazing to re-learn the difference - and more importantly, the outcome - between "communicating" and "connecting" with people.  We all "communicate", but only small minority can truly "connect" in a genuine way.  This course teaches people how to connect, and create mutually beneficial outcomes for everyone.  That is a great gift given to us through Bill and Joann and it overflows from our professional work into our personal lives.....thus everyone around us benefits, always.

Lori Peters teaching personal and professional benefits of working with "Accountable People"

The classroom was on the top floor of the Begin Tower on campus at the South Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT).  Thank you to SAIT for allowing access into this perfect classroom with 40-mile views overlooking Calgary, the far prairies, and the Canadian Rockies.

Laura (foreground) and Colleen (in back) maneuvering through a team-based exercise illustrating how efficiency plays a role in our everyday habits and project plans.

One of the powerful elements of this course that makes it both resonate with attendees and fun for everyone is the exercises.  After all, not all project management can be accepted sitting down, right?

Project Management Course in Calgary 2014

Rarely do project managers get a chance to learn the secret of how you, your team and technology blend together to create a well-balanced and positive synergistic outcome. This outcome is often outside the purview and skill sets of the project manager, not by design but by default. Here’s why:

IS THIS YOU?

You go to school to learn about geologic science or engineering. You like it. You’re good at it. And because you’re good at applying your knowledge and skills within a project you are asked to manage a project.

THIS IS THE CLASSIC PROMOTION: A person trained and great at technical skills promoted to something that is beyond training and experience. Your scientific knowledge and field experience take a screeching halt when it comes to project management. So, by default, you end up using people as resources, extensions of you, to perform as best you can.

You do it and you do it well.

You’ve been doing it now for years. But inside you wonder if there isn’t a better way. Your success is real, but limited to what you know. Your company depends on your doing these projects. Your career depends on how you do these projects. And the more time goes by the less you are able to seek help to do anything more than what you’ve been doing. But you know the reality of that: If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.

SO...WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?
Today’s project managers are presented with unique challenges requiring integration of multidisciplinary teams with various responsibilities and technological capabilities while balancing client relationships and increasing profits. For example, managing our resources today typically means doing more with less time, money and staff. Opportunities to acquire the skills and perspective to improve your project management style to the point where it becomes natural and consistent are rare - but you have one now.

WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
Build and maintain a well-balanced and high-performance team by motivating and empowering your staff coupled with creating a team culture that is attractive to both employees and clients. Learn the secret of implementing project QA/QC to become a high-performance team where everyone promotes relentless accountability. Once you gain this new perspective, results are immediate.

HOW DO YOU GET THERE, EASILY?
Register now for this 2-day course that will forever change and improve your personal and project management skills. You will gain the power to achieve greater success the minute you return to your current project.....and the personal outcome overflows into every element of your life.

Diagnostic Tools, Derivative Analysis and Solution Strategies for Aquifer Pumping Tests at In-Situ, Inc.



Course Attendees during the 2013 Course at In-Situ, Inc.


Diagnostic tools, derivate analysis and solution strategies for aquifer pumping tests were mastered by a full house at In-Situ, Inc Headquarters this week in Fort Collins, Colorado.  The group photo above exhibits the great smiles at the morning break during the 2-day (Sept 23-24) course: Aquifer Testing for Improved Hydrogeologic Characterization: Featuring AQTESOLV and the In-Situ Level TROLL. 

Jim Butler, the author of "The Design, Performance and Analysis of Slug Tests", started the course by his teaching the principles of slug testing while eloquently updating us on strategies for gaining reliable slug test results and what to look for to identify those areas where conditions may yield some uncertainty of test results.

Glenn Duffield, the creator and mastermind of AQTESOLV software, dives into analysis strategies for both slug tests and pumping tests.  The insights gained from the diagnostic methods and derivative analysis are powerful tools for hydrogeologists who conduct aquifer pumping tests.

The experts at In-Situ, Inc provide priceless insights about data collection and management while transferring it to the AQTESOLV software.  The facility tour is an eye-opening experience about how transducers and water-quality instrumentation are made.

Thank you to the participants for making the course a super fun event!  We admire and respect your questions, stories and experience that you share during the course and welcome you to keep sharing them through your calls, texts, emails and tweets!

AEG and MidwestGeo Join Forces To Bring Online Education to Everyone!

AEG and Midwest Geosciences Group announce a new and powerful collaboration bringing professional education to everyone. This new collaboration expands the variety of technical topics enhancing our discounting programs and international participation!

 "We are thrilled to join forces with AEG for online education! AEG members are leaders in engineering geology and this collaboration fits well with Midwest GeoSciences Group. I expect our collaboration will quickly grow by offering new topics, expert instructors, and some of the deepest discounts ever to make continuing education more affordable."
-Dan Kelleher, PG, CIPM, President of Midwest GeoSciences Group

AEG is the international leader in environmental and engineering geology, and greatly respected for its stewardship of the profession. AEG offers information and expertise on environmental and engineering geology to practitioners, scientists, students, and the public. 

Midwest GeoSciences Group continues to grow as the recognized leader in education and training for the hydrogeologic, environmental and geotechnical industry. Our Group fills the tremendous need for up-to-date technical information, provides basic training and skill development, and demonstrates best practices without commercial bias. 

Our goal at Midwest GeoSciences Group is to provide people with the latest technical information to help people do their job better and more efficiently, and to become aware of the people and resources that can be helpful to them for successful project completion. This collaborative Webinar Program advances these goals.

Our Mutual Mission for this Collaborative Program: 

• Online education to AEG Members - with CEU options
• Exclusive discounts to AEG members.
• Platform for AEG members to present instructional webinars with international participation
• Special features such as pre-webinar AEG forums and handouts.
• Select AEG webinars offered free of charge.
• Promote AEG membership - one time webinar discount for new members joining AEG.
• AEG Sections benefit through revenue-sharing and membership.

ON-DEMAND WEBINARS: Milestone Achievement with Thanks

Thanks to all of the webinar participants who access our ON-DEMAND WEBINARS!   It is a privilege to serve you while promoting best practices among professionals on a global scale.

Midwest GeoSciences Group recognize the difficulty in keeping up to date with technical advances in our environmental and engineering industry.  What we strive to do is provide meaningful education and training that you can readily use in your own work.  We are motivated to serve you and hope that our collaborative efforts fulfill our human purpose and global stewardship.  

Midwest GeoSciences Group reached another milestone offering 70 webinars in the on-demand library!   We are thrilled to grow our library of on-demand webinars that show case some of the most valuable attributes:

• Meaningful Subjects
• Recognized Expert Instructors
• CEU certificates available from Northern Illinois University
• 90-minute sessions that include the unlimited Question and Answer (post-webinar) session
• Unlimited attendance at one location from one computer site.
• Candid and expert insights that are found no where else on the web 

 Every webinar includes at least TWO FREE HANDOUTS:

1. Webinar Session Slides
2. Record of Attendance Forms

Front Page of the Webinar Session Slides from a recent webinar

Every participant has the option to order a webinar completion certificate from Northern Illinois University for 90 minutes showing 0.15 Continuing Education Units (1.5 PDH equivalent).

We learn that most participants order MidwestGeo Webinars to increase their knowledge and skills from nationally and internationally-recognized experts....and they grab their CEUs along the way.  If you join one of our webinars solely for CEUs, we believe that you'll return for the high-quality and meaningful instruction.

Thank you again to all those who have ordered on-demand webinars ... and live webinars too!  We never take your participation for granted and we want you to always achieve your educational and training objectives whether you take a webinar or an on-site short course!

Course Notebooks: The Never-Ending Resource of a Midwest GeoSciences Group Course

We are amazed with the expertise, enthusiasm and energy of the people who attend our short courses.  To the credit of both the instructors and the attendees, the outcome of most courses feel like a historic event when I look back at most courses.

One of the key elements to prolong the life and effectiveness of any course experience is the COURSE NOTEBOOK.   It is amazing when I hear stories from long-past course attendees who routinely turn to their Course Notebook for the answer to help them face a technical challenge. 

There are two people attending the Advanced Aquifer Testing Course in Calgary, Alberta who provide a testament to this observation.  Sitting in the front row of the class is Laura whom I notice is filling her notebook chock full of notes, page-by-page-by-page-by-page.  The 500+-page course notebook is filling up with "gold nuggets" that are verbally presented by the instructors.  Her approach to taking notes includes tabs and post-it notes that prioritize the importance of her notes.  Wow, this is awesome!!

Laura's notebook is chock full of notes on nearly every page!

To our surprise, a past course attendee is here taking the course again....plus he brought his course notebook to share how the notebook continues to prove a useful reference.  Todd Myse attended our first 3-day advanced level aquifer testing course in Miami back in 2005...and is attending the course again to re-re-fresh his mastery of aquifer testing.

Great job, Todd!  You not only have maximized the use and life of that hefty notebook, you carried it TO a course!

We obviously enjoy meeting course attendees.....the iinstructors of Midwest GeoSciences Group courses take pride in attendees when we see how our courses play a positive role in both their work plus being responsible stewards of this planet that was given to us by our Creator.

We listen and learn from you .... plus we are practitioners too.  We respond to you and industry trends by developing courses, webinars and field tools that aim for best practice procedures and meaningful technical approaches.  As a result, a special 23-webinar series called The Contaminants of Concern Webinar Series was developed and you're invited to experience it.

What is this webinar series all about?
The Contaminants of Concern Webinar Series includes emerging contaminants that are just now receiving public attention; challenging, fast-moving, persistent contaminants; and managed contaminant sources in the environment like: 

Emerging Contaminants

• 1,4-dioxane
• Perfluorchemicals (PFCs)
• 1,2,3-trichloropropane
• Pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and antibiotics
• Perchlorate
• Viruses and bacteria

Challenging, persistent chemicals

• MTBE/TBA
• Coal tar and wood-treatment chemicals
• Arsenic
• Chromium

Managed contaminant sources

• Landfill leachate/landfill gas
• Road Salt

Why is this webinar series important?
Remediation technology is ever increasing, and with it, the demand for the latest up-to-date information. Midwest GeoSciences Group meets the need with the Contaminants of Concern Webinar Series for professionals working in the fields of environmental consulting, site remediation, groundwater investigations, water quality issues, and brown field developments. The series highlights Instructors who are recognized experts from government and industry.

Regulators, consultants, engineers and hydrogeologists will appreciate the webinars for providing an overview of the various contaminant's origin, chemistry, means of site characterization, environmental fate and transport, remediation technologies, and discussion of real-world cases studies.

What are some advantages of MidwestGeo Webinars?

Our webinars are designed to be the highest quality webinars available in the environmental and engineering industry, period. I realize that's a bold statement, but its our goal.  We are selective about our instructors and how they teach their material.  Our instructors don't read a chapter out of a text book during a webinar nor will you find yourself "out of luck" if you miss it or have an unforeseen circumstance if you cannot access an event, for any reason. Other benefits include:

• Globally accessible
• High quality video and audio using premium WebEx platform.
• Interactive
• Unlimited attendees per registered site
• Taught by recognized experts
• 90-minutes each (1.5 PDH)
• Unlimited Question & Answers (Q&A)
• Discounts available for multiple webinars 

You're invited to join us for this landmark webinar series.  It promises to be a lot of fun plus technically beneficial along the way.

Register Now at www.midwestgeo.com

State Organizations Accessing Webinars in Illinois, Iowa and Indiana

Geologists and ground water professionals came together in October for their state organizational meetings, each featuring a webinar from the MIDWESTGEO WEBINAR ARCHIVES during their day long meetings.

The Illinois Groundwater Association, the Iowa Ground Water Association and the Professional Geologists of Indiana each recently conducted their fall meetings.  Representatives from each organization independently contacted Midwest GeoSciences Group and inquired about accessing a recorded webinar as part of their fall meeting agenda.  We gladly responded with enthusiastic support!

Smiles during the Illinois Groundwater Association Fall Meeting  (Photo by Tim Kemmis)

 

Midwest GeoSciences Group wishes to extend a special thank you to Joyce Day, Diane Lamb, Ed Mehnert, John Quinn, Al Stone, Bianca Colemenares, Steve Bennett, Dan Lombardi and others who attended the Illinois Groundwater Association at Argonne National Laboratory. Extra special thanks go to Joyce and especially to Diane for making it happen, and flawlessly!

We also extend a heartfelt thanks Bob Dustrup, Matt Culp, Roger Bruner, Molly Arp, Cara McCabe, Paul Vandorp and others who attended and facilated the recorded webinar during the Iowa Ground Water Association Meeting in Iowa City.

On behalf of the Iowa Groundwater Association I want to thank both of you and the Midwest GeoScience Group on the slug testing webinar by Dr. Butler that you presented at yesterday’s Iowa Groundwater Association meeting.   Providing a high-caliber training opportunity at our meeting ....  and helping our organization fulfill one of our objectives: to promote education of groundwater issues. -Bob Dustrup, 2012 IGWA President

Last by not least, we wish to thank Rob George from the Professional Geologists Association in Indiana for leading the way and facilitating the recorded webinar for their meeting in Indianapolis.  We look forward to upcoming collaborations during 2013!

Association of Engineering Geologists 2012 Annual Conference



The Association of Engineering Geologists Annual Conference lived up to its tag line:  Ascending to Greater Heights: Elevating Our Profession.    It was fitting because some of the main elements that resonated deepest were about the future of the engineering geology industry.  AEG does a great job of long-term planning and they seem to successfully see into the future and respond to the profession accordingly.  I am impressed by the vision of the AEG leadership and their ability to adapt to market demands, industry trends, and geographic shifts.  AEG is indeed leading the way toward elevating the profession.

This year's meeting was located downtown Salt Lake City with field trips and short courses scattered all over the state.  Utah is an outstanding place to hold a geology meeting.  The irony is my favorite day of exploring was at the Bonneville Salt Flats where we witnessed a car driving over 450 mph! (not directly related to geology, but without the salt flats the speedway couldn't exist!) 

Rock Core Boxes stacked at the Utah Geological Survey Core Repository. 
Bar coding is a trend we see more and more when we visit different core repositories. 

Keegan is pictured at our exhibitor booth.  Thanks to all those who stopped by and said Hello!
....especially to those who stayed a while!

Congratulations to AEG leadership for hosting another world-class conference.  We as members benefit from the conference but in the long run, the public benefits most from our stewardship as professionals with pride in our work coupled with standards and ethics set by the AEG vision.